Ikkat Movie Review: Pandemic romance

Ikkat, the latest OTT offering from Kannada cinema, is set during the first lockdown period, and takes us through the life and times of Vasu (Nagabhushana) and Janavi (Bhoomi Shetty). The married couple, who are on the verge of finalising their divorce, are forced to stay together a bit longer due to the sudden announcement of the 21-day lockdown. We then see how this forced union, peppered with random appearances from uninvited guests, changes the lives of this unassuming middle-class couple.

Cast: Nagabhushana, Bhoomi Shetty, Veena Sundar, RJ Vikki

Director: Esham and Haseen Khan

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

Presented by Pawan Kumar Studios and directed by debutants Esham and Haseen Khan, Ikkat, has the sensitive issue of divorce at its core, and also handles the pandemic-related events in the film. The directors, who have also written the story, and taken up editing responsibilities, have brought out a relatable subject. It is particularly interesting how they have dissected the story into six episodes, and showcased the life of an average middle-class family. Although the execution is a bit amateurish, their vision is applaudable, and full points for having a light-hearted vein throughout its runtime.

Full points to Nagabhushana and Bhoomi for delivering natural performances that shoulders the entire film. It is impressive how both these debut actors understood the crux of the characters to give us a convincing portrayal. However, the same can’t be said about actors Veena Sundar and RJ Vikki who go a bit overboard.

On the technical side, the work by cinematographer Lavith, unfortunately, isn’t upto the mark. Composer Doss Mode gives us a couple of good tracks though, especially the ones about the pandemic, and families. Basically, Ikkat isn’t a bad film, but it is neither a good film, and falls somewhere in between as a strictly time pass film.